


Secondhand Suffering

by ImperfectOrphanage



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-09 00:10:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11657562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperfectOrphanage/pseuds/ImperfectOrphanage
Summary: It was hard for Joshua to watch someone he loved suffer.





	Secondhand Suffering

Halfway through a page, and Joshua realized he’d read the same paragraph over and over again without retaining a single thing. He snapped the book shut and tossed to the side on the sofa. The room was quiet and he thought about watching television, but Joshua didn’t want to bother Neku. He was attempting to rest in the bedroom. The lights were off, the shades were drawn, and a fan blew cool air on Neku’s face as he lay under a weighted blanket.

It was hard to watch Neku suffer. Joshua loved him and though it wasn’t at all sexual, he cared for his once proxy and wanted nothing more than to soothe his pain. Unfortunately, Joshua’s hands were tied as a Composer wasn’t allowed to interfere in the life of another-not even his Conductor. He didn’t want to sit idly by and watch Neku moan and twitch. It wouldn’t be right to bother him.

“Joshua…”

The cry was soft and thick. He instantly rose and went to Neku, who was covered to his chin in a blanket with a bit of sweat on his face. Joshua wiped it away with a washcloth from the nightstand and he smiled tenderly down at Neku. “Yes?”

“Hey,” Neku moaned, “what…what are you doing?”

Joshua laughed. “Silly Neku. I’m trying to leave you alone to rest.”

“Rest, heh,” he replied, staring at the ceiling. “Look, you and I both know-ah…that I’m not going to…fuck…get rest.”

Due to Neku’s thin frame and the overuse of his joints in various creative endeavors, he suffered from a bout of arthritic pain here and there. It was usually nothing. He didn’t complain about the daily aching and burning. But if he over did it, or if the weather was just right, he’d suffer a massive attack of pain while his body flinched and kicked.

“I should get up and finish that-“

“No,” Joshua ordered. “You’re always pushing too hard. What good is a Conductor who can’t walk or move their arms without pain? I order you to rest.”

Neku snorted. “If I felt better, I’d deck you.”

“Sweetheart, I hate to tell you, but you can barely stand.”

“Fuck,” Neku laughed, “you’re right. Ugh. I feel so useless.”

Joshua guided his hand over Neku’s forehead and cheek. “Never say you’re useless. If you were, I wouldn’t have chosen you to be my proxy and I certainly wouldn’t have kept you on. Oh, you’re burning up.”

“I didn’t want to move.”

He rose from Neku’s side and went to the fan on the other side of the bed. Joshua clicked it up to three and moved it from oscillating to directly hitting Neku in the face. “There we are. That should cool you down and I’ll go get some water. You need to keep hydrated.”

“Thank you,” Neku winced, “Dr. Kiryu.”

Giggling, Joshua left the room for the kitchen. He found Neku’s favorite cup with a lid and straw. It had little foxes running all over it, and it said ‘I don’t give a fox’. Joshua filled it with cool water and squeezed a bit of lemon flavoring into the cup before closing the lid and carrying it back to Neku. He held the straw to Neku’s lips and the Conductor slowly tugged on it.

“Good. I thought we could order out again. Would you like ramen or nuggets?”

Neku continued to drink. He pulled back, gasped in relief, and grinned. “Nuggets and fries sound good because you can feed me.”

“Oh? Is that what you’re doing?” Joshua poked Neku in the cheek. “You naughty boy.”

“Hey, I’m only doing what you do at the end of a long Game.”

“Ah, right,” Joshua began to massage Neku’s temples and scalp, “you’re always so good to me when I’m feeling the city flow through.”

“Josh?”

The Composer smiled. “Yes, Neku?”

Blue eyes turned to him. “Thanks. For everything. I mean, you’ve been a good friend. I love you.”

“I love you, too, dear.” He held his hand up and the book in the other room flew into it with a soft smack of leather on flesh. “Now, let me read to you until you fall asleep.”

Neku closed his eyes, exhaled shakily, and shifted under the blanket.

“Long, long ago, a great wizard with the power of a god proclaimed a great prophecy…”

**Author's Note:**

> I borrowed the last line from a hilarious story that Lolz in the TWEWY Discord told us last night when I was suffering from a major nerve pain attack. It helped me go to sleep mostly because it was hilarious and amazing.
> 
> Thanks, Lolz


End file.
